Heat exchanger and method for manufacturing same

ABSTRACT

In a heat exchanger, a bracket is fixed to the side plate only by fastening, after an assembly including a core portion and the side plate is bonded together in a furnace. Therefore, the bracket can be readily fixed to the side plate without using an additional connection member such as a bolt. Accordingly, the core portion can be made relatively larger while it can prevent an outer dimension of the heater core from being enlarged. Further, one of the side plate and the bracket has a protrusion, and the other one of the side plate and the bracket has a hole being engaged with the protrusion. Therefore, the bracket can be further tightly fixed to the side plate without brazing.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-1426 filed on Jan. 8, 2002, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to a heat exchanger and a method for manufacturing the same. The heat exchanger is suitably used for a radiator or a condenser of a vehicle. Related Art:

[0003] A heat exchanger of a vehicle, described in JP-P2001-27493A, includes a heat-exchanging core portion, a side plate disposed on an end portion of the core portion for reinforcing the core portion, and attachment brackets fixed to the side plate. In this heat exchanger, after the brackets are temporally fixed to the side plate, the brackets are finally fixed to the side plate by brazing.

[0004] Generally, in order to braze a core portion 210 and a side plate 230, it is necessary to temporally fix the core portion 210 and the side plate 230 by using a wire or the like, as shown in FIG. 5. Therefore, the attachment positions of the brackets are need to be set at positions without the wire, and are not freely set. On the other hand, when a bracket 140 having a width dimension Wb larger than a thickness Dc of the core portion 210 is finally fixed to the side plate 230 by bonding as shown in FIG. 6, a base for preventing a tilt of the heat exchanger is necessary while the heat exchanger is moved into a furnace. If the heat exchanger is tilted while being transmitted to the furnace, the position of the temporally fixed core portion 210 or the side plate 230 may be greatly shifted.

[0005] The brackets can be tightly fixed to the side plate before the brazing, by using an additional connection member such as a bolt and a rivet. However, in this case, it is necessary to form holes in the side plate, for inserting the additional connection member. Therefore, the size of the side plate becomes larger, and the outer dimension of the heat exchanger also becomes larger.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] In view of the above-described problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a heat exchanger in which an attachment position of a bracket is arbitrarily set in a side plate.

[0007] It is an another object of the present invention to provide a heat exchanger in which the bracket can be fixed to the side plate only by fastening after a bonding between a core portion and the side plate is performed.

[0008] It is a further another object of the present invention to provide a heat exchanger that has a relative large core portion while restricting an outer dimension of the heat exchanger from being increased.

[0009] It is a further another object of the present invention to provide a manufacturing method through which the bracket can be readily attached to the side plate only by press-deforming a part of part side plate without using an additional connection member.

[0010] According to the present invention, a heat exchanger includes a core portion having a plurality of tubes in which a first fluid flows to perform heat exchange with a second fluid flowing through the core portion outside the tubes, a side plate disposed on an end portion of the core portion for reinforcing the core portion, and a bracket being fixed to the side plate only by fastening. Because the bracket is fixed to the side plate only by fastening, the attachment of the bracket can be performed after an assembly including the core portion and the side plate is brazed in a furnace. Therefore, the bracket can be fixed to the side plate at an arbitrary position, and the attachment position of the bracket can be arbitrarily set. Further, the bracket is fixed into the side plate only by fastening without using an additional connection member such as a bolt, it is unnecessary to form a hole for the additional connection member in the side plate. Accordingly, it is compared with a case where the bracket is fixed to the side plate by using the connection member, the core portion can be made relatively larger while an outer dimension of the heat exchanger can be restricted.

[0011] Preferably, the side plate extends in a direction parallel to a longitudinal direction of the tubes, and is formed into an approximate U-shape in cross section, to have a bottom wall portion connected to the core portion and two opposite side walls protruding from the bottom wall portion to a side opposite to the core portion. Further, a part of the side walls is plastically deformed by pressing from an outside of the side plate to clip and fasten the bracket between the side walls. Therefore, the bracket can be tightly fastened and fixed to the side plate.

[0012] More preferably, one of the bottom wall portion of the side plate and the bracket has a protrusion, and the other one of the bottom wall portion of the side plate and the bracket has a hole being engaged with the protrusion. Therefore, the bracket can be further tightly fixed to the side plate without using the additional connection member.

[0013] According to a manufacturing method of the present invention, after temporally assembling the side plate to the one end of the core portion to form an assembly, the assembly is bonded integrally in a furnace. Further, a part of the side plate is press-deformed from an outside of the side plate after the bracket is inserted into the side plate, so that the bracket is fastened and fixed to the side plate after the brazing. Therefore, the bracket can be readily attached to the side plate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0015]FIG. 1A is a front view and FIG. 1B is a top view, showing a heat exchanger according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0016]FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the portion A in FIG. 1A;

[0017]FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the advantage of the present invention;

[0018]FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view corresponding to the portion A in FIG. 1A, in a heat exchanger according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0019]FIG. 5 is a schematic front view for explaining a problem in a conventional heat exchanger; and

[0020]FIG. 6 is a schematic side view for explaining a problem in a conventional heat exchanger.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] (First Embodiment)

[0022] In the first embodiment, a heat exchanger of the present invention is typically used for a condenser 100 for a vehicle air conditioner.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the condenser 100 includes a core portion 110 for performing a heat exchange between refrigerant and air, two header tanks 120 at both sides of the core portion 110, and two side plates 130 for reinforcing the core portion 110. The core portion 110 is composed of a plurality of tubes 111 in which refrigerant flows, and a plurality corrugated fins 112 each of which is connected to outer surfaces of adjacent two tubes 111 by brazing. The header tanks 120 extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the tubes 111 to communicate with the tubes 111. The header tanks 120 are connected to the tubes 111, for distributing the refrigerant into the tubes 111 and for collecting the refrigerant from the tubes 111. On the other hand, the side plates 130 are provided on both the sides of the core portion 110 to extend in a direction that is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the tubes 111. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the side plates 130 is formed from an aluminum plate by pressing into an approximate U-shape in cross section.

[0024] In the first embodiment, the tubes 111, the fins 112, the header tanks 120 and the side plates 130 are made of the same metal, and are bonded integrally by brazing.

[0025] Metal bracket (e.g., two) 140, through which the condenser 100 is assembled to a vehicle, are fixed to the side plate 130 positioned on the upper side of the core portion 110. On the other hand, bushing rubber members 150, for elastically supporting the condenser 100 relative to the vehicle, are fixed to the side plate 130 positioned on the lower side of the core portion 110.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, the bracket 140 inserted into the side plate 130 between side wall portions 131, and the side wall portions 131 are pressed from an outside by a fastening jig (not shown), so that a part of the side wall portions 131 is plastically deformed to press-contact the bracket 140. Therefore, the bracket 140 is fixed to the side plate 130 by press-deforming, at the part of the side wall portions 131. In the first embodiment, the bracket 140 is fixed to the side plate 130 only by the fastening without using an additional connection member. In the first embodiment, the fastening of the bracket 140 to the side plate 140 is performed, after the brazing of an assembly including the tubes 111, the fins 112, the header tanks 120 and the side plates 130 is finished.

[0027] According to the first embodiment, the bracket 140 is fixed to the side plate 130 only by press-deforming (fastening), an attachment position of the bracket 140 can be freely set. Because the bracket 140 is fixed to the side plate only by fastening, the fastening of the bracket 140 to the side plate 130 can be performed after the assembly is bonded together by brazing. Accordingly, the bracket 140 can be fixed to the side plate 130 at any position in the longitudinal direction of the side plate 130.

[0028] In the first embodiment, when the assembly of the condenser 100 is transferred to a furnace for brazing, the brackets 140 are not attached to the assembly yet. Therefore, even when a width dimension of the bracket 140 in an air flow direction of the core portion 110 is set larger than a thickness of the core portion 110, a base for preventing a tilt of the assembly of the condenser 100 is unnecessary, and the heat exchanger can be manufactured in low cost.

[0029] In the first embodiment, the brackets 140 and the side plate 130 can be made of the same metal with the same electrical potential. In this case, it can prevent one of the brackets 140 and the side plate 130 from being electrically corroded preferentially. Alternatively, when the bracket 140 is made of a metal (e.g., iron) different from the side plate 130 (e.g., aluminum), a coating film can be formed on the surface of the bracket 140 that is more readily corroded in electrical potential as compared with the side plate 130. Therefore, corrosion in the bracket 140 and the side plate 130 can be effectively prevented.

[0030] In the first embodiment, the bracket 140 is directly fixed to the side plate 130 only by fastening of the side plate 130, after the brazing of the assembly of the condenser 100 is finished. Therefore, it is unnecessary to form an insertion hole in the side plate 130, for inserting an additional connection member such as a bolt and a rivet. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the dimension of the core portion 110 can be increased by AH, while it can prevent the outer dimension of the condenser 100 from being increased, as compared with a case where the bracket 140 is fixed to the side plate 130 using a bolt B. Accordingly, the radiating capacity of the condenser 100 can be increased, while it can prevent the outer dimension of the condenser 100 from being increased.

[0031] (Second Embodiment)

[0032] In the above-described first embodiment, a part of the side wall portions 131 of the side plate 130 is pressed to the bracket 140 to be deformed, so that the bracket 140 is directly fixed to the side plate 130. However, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a part of a bottom portion 132 of the side plate 130 is cut to be protruded from the surface of the bottom portion 132, so that a protrusion 133 is formed. On the other hand, a hole 141 being engaged with the protrusion 133 of the side plate 130 is provided in the bracket 140 so that the protrusion 133 of the side plate 130 is inserted into the hole 141 of the bracket 140. In the second embodiment, while the protrusion 133 of the side plate 130 is engaged with the hole 141 of the bracket 140, a part of the side wall portions 131 of the side plate 130 is pressed toward inside to fasten the bracket 140. Accordingly, the bracket 140 can be strongly fixed into the side plate 130 without brazing.

[0033] When the protrusion 133 inserted into the hole 141 of the bracket 140 press-contacts the bracket 140, the bracket 140 can be further strongly fixed to the side plate 130. The protrusion 133 can be press-fitted into the hole 141 of the bracket 140.

[0034] In the second embodiment, the protrusion 133 is provided in the side plate 130, and the hole 141 is provided in the bracket 140. However, the protrusion 133 can be provided in the bracket 140, and the hole 141 can be provided in the side plate 130. Even in this case, the same effects can be obtained.

[0035] Although the present invention has been fully described in connection with the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0036] For example, in the above-described embodiments, the present invention is typically applied to the condenser. However, the present invention can be applied to the other heat exchanger such as a radiator.

[0037] In the above-described embodiments, the bracket 140 and the side plate 130 are made of metal. However, the bracket 140 and the side plate 130 can be made of a material having a sufficient corrosion-resistance performance, such as a rubber and a resin.

[0038] Such changes and modifications are to be understood as being within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A heat exchanger comprising: a core portion having a plurality of tubes in which a first fluid flows to perform heat exchange with a second fluid flowing through the core portion outside the tubes; a side plate, disposed on an end portion of the core portion, for reinforcing the core portion; and a bracket for an attachment, the bracket being fixed to the side plate only by fastening.
 2. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein: the side plate extends in a direction parallel to a longitudinal direction of the tubes, and is formed into an approximate U-shape in cross section, to have a bottom wall portion connected to the core portion and two opposite side walls protruding from the bottom wall portion to a side opposite to the core portion; and a part of the side walls is plastically deformed by pressing from an outside to clip and fasten the bracket between the side walls.
 3. The heat exchanger according to claim 2, wherein: one of the bottom wall portion of the side plate and the bracket has a protrusion; and the other one of the bottom wall portion of the side plate and the bracket has a hole being engaged with the protrusion.
 4. The heat exchanger according to claim 3, wherein the protrusion is press-fitted into the hole.
 5. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein: the bracket has an engagement portion engaged with the side plate; and the bracket is fastened and fixed into the side plate.
 6. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein: the side plate has a protrusion protruding from an inner wall surface of the side plate; the bracket has a hole into which the protrusion of the side plate is press-fitted; and the bracket is fastened and fixed into the side plate.
 7. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein a part of the side plate is plastically deformed to press-contacts the bracket so that the bracket is fastened and fixed to the side plate.
 8. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the bracket and the side plate are made of metal materials having the same electrical potential.
 9. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the bracket is made of a metal different from that of the side plate, the heat exchanger further comprising a cover film provided on one of the bracket and the side plate, that is inferior in electrical potential.
 10. A manufacturing method of a heat exchanger comprising: forming a core portion including a plurality of tubes in which a first fluid flows to perform heat exchange with a second fluid passing through the core portion outside the tubes; forming a side plate to have an approximate U shape in cross section; temporally assembling the side plate on one end of the core portion to form an assembly; brazing the assembly in a furnace; and press-deforming a part of the side plate from an outside of the side plate after a bracket is inserted into the side plate, so that the bracket is fastened and fixed to the side plate after the brazing.
 11. The manufacturing method according to claim 10, wherein one of the side plate and the bracket has a protrusion, and the other one of the side plate and the bracket has a hole, the method further comprising engaging the protrusion with the hole before the press-deforming.
 12. The manufacturing method according to claim 10, wherein: the side plate has a bottom wall portion bonding to the core portion and two opposite side walls protruding from the bottom wall portion to a side opposite to the core portion; and in the press-deforming, the bracket is inserted into the side plate between the opposite side walls, and a part of the opposite side walls is pressed from an outside to be plastically deformed. 